The National Rifle Association, which had not taken a position on Judge Sonia Sotomayor, today declare its opposition to her Supreme Court nomination, declaring that she has a “hostile view of the Second Amendment and the fundamental right of self-defense guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.”

Sotomayor’s critics hope the NRA’s announcement will change the dynamics of the confirmation process, and possibly even persuade some Democrats to vote against her. However, at the conclusion of Sotomayor’s testimony Thursday, it did not appear that even the opposition of the influential gun rights group was likely to derail her nomination.

The NRA criticized several of the positions Sotomayor had taken on Second Amendment rights. “It is only by ignoring history that any judge can say that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right and does not apply to the states,” two of the group’s leaders, Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox, said in a statement.

“We believe that any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self-defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land,” they added.

“In her Maloney opinion and during the confirmation hearings, she deliberately misread Supreme Court precedent to support her incorrect view,” the two NRA officials said in their statement. Sotomayor was part of an appeals court panel that rejected a challenge to a New York law banning nunchaku, a martial arts weapon.

During the hearing, Sotomayor has said that her findings that the Second Amendment is not a “fundamental right” and that it applies to the federal government but not the states was based on the Supreme Court’s rulings. She also said she has not prejudged these issues should they come before the high court when she is a justice, assuming she is confirmed.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence endorsed Sotomayor Tuesday, saying, “Judge Sotomayor has now been asked for her views on the Second Amendment. She has given clear and responsible answers, while not prejudging any issues that may come before her on the court.”

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